''Human Design'' is the sixth studio album by Australian

alternative rock Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from mainstream or commerci ...

band

Birds of Tokyo Birds of Tokyo are an Australian alternative rock band from Perth, Western Australia. Their debut album, ''Day One,'' gained them domestic success, reaching number three on the AIR Independent Album charts and spending a total of 36 consecuti ...

. It was announced on 28 February 2020, and was released on 24 April 2020. ''Human Design'' debuted at number 1 on the

ARIA Charts The ARIA Charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA became the offici ...

, becoming the band's second chart-topping album after '' March Fires'' in 2013. The album marks a shift in direction for the band as the lyrics reflect and documents the breakdown of singer Ian Kenny's marriage. Kenny said: "These four singles we've released over the last 18 months have each been very personal and direct in different ways. It's great that they seem to have struck deep chords with lots of people, but in the first instance, I was just writing words to stop myself going nuts". Kenny later added: "It's filled with regret ..I could have said things better, but the result is eloquent and emotional".

Singles

Unbreakable Unbreakable may refer to: * '' Unbreakable: My Story, My Way'', a book written by Jenni Rivera * Unbreakable (horse) (1935–1962), a Thoroughbred racehorse and sire Film and television * ''Unbreakable'' (film series), a trilogy directed by M ...

" was released on 21 September 2018 and was chosen as theme song for the 2018 Invictus Games. The song peaked at number 33 on the Australian Digital Tracks. "

Good Lord Good Lord was a New Zealand thoroughbred racehorse owned by Las Vegas lawyer Michael L. Hines (1920–1985). Background Foaled in 1971, and purchased for just $6,250 as a yearling, Good Lord was by Zamazaan out of Love in Bloom. Racing career ...

" was released on 26 February 2019 as the album's second single. The song peaked at number 19 on the ARIA charts and was nominated for two ARIA Music Awards at the

2019 awards Nineteen or 19 may refer to: * 19 (number), the natural number following 18 and preceding 20 * one of the years 19 BC, AD 19, 1919, 2019 Films * ''19'' (film), a 2001 Japanese film * ''Nineteen'' (film), a 1987 science fiction film Music ...

. "

The Greatest Mistakes "The Greatest Mistakes" is a song by Australian alternative rock band Birds of Tokyo and is the third single from their sixth studio album, ''Human Design Human Design is a New Age-inspired pseudo-scientific practice. Its proponents describe i ...

" was released on 16 August 2019 as the album's third single. It peaked at number 21 on the Australian Digital Tracks. " Two of Us" was released on 17 January 2020 and peaked at number 4 on the Australian Digital Tracks. "Dive" was announced on the group's

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account as the album's fifth single on 20 April 2020. On 26 June 2020, the single edit of "Never Going Back" was released.

Reception

Jeff Jenkins from ''Stack'' magazine claimed the album "could be a campfire singalong" and said "Their songs might be grand designs – rousing and anthemic – but at their core, they are simple and direct, with the choir of voices in the choruses making them relatable for every listener." Tyler Jenke said "''Human Design'' sees emotional vulnerability at the forefront of Birds Of Tokyo's classic sound, exploring new ground and serving as a powerful, cathartic record" calling it "one of the strongest releases of their career to date." Georgie Gray called the album "A triumphant celebration to the resilience of human spirit." Brittany Jenke said it's "a record that is as powerful as it is hopeful, making it stand as one of the year's most important releases."

Singles

Reception

Track listing

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Release history

See also

References